North American aficionados of comic kung fu will be able to satisfy their jones on Tuesday, January 22nd, when Stephen Fung’s TAI CHI ZERO debuts on Blu-ray (upon which this review is based), DVD and digital. It’s a fanciful and lighthearted imagining about the founder of Yang style Tai Chi Ch’uan, Yang Luchan, here played by Jayden Yuan (a.k.a. Yuan Xiaochao, who reportedly took his English first name from Will Smith’s son Jayden, who co-starred with Jackie Chan in the remake of THE KARATE KID).

Luchan is also known as “The Freak” because he has a horn-like growth, known as “Three Blossoms on the Crown,” on his right forehead. When the bump is struck, he turns into a formidable fighter. Unfortunately this also depletes his ch’i (internal energy). Luchan’s birth and early youth play as a silent movie with intertitles. When he’s about eight years old, his mother (Shu Qi, whom I still can’t picture as a mother, although she’s old enough to be one) dies. Master Zhao, a leader of the rebels against the Qing (Manchu) emperor, takes in Lychan, but teaches him only about using brute force. Master Dong (1970s kung fu superstar Leung Siu-lung), a healer in Zhao’s camp, advises Luchan that in order to stay alive he must go to Chen village and learn the internal martial art of Tai Chi, developed and taught by the Chen family...Continue reading review.

24Framespersecond.net for Asian, world, and horror movies news and reviews 2008. All Rights Reserved. Content from this site may be used if
accreditation is given.
Stills/images etc are copyright to their respective creators, and no breach of copyright is deliberately intended.